Dr. Paul Jessup (William Hurt) is interested in experimenting with human consciousness. He uses a sensory deprivation tank and a near lethal amount of hallucinogenic mushrooms in order to focus entirely within, to seek the immutable Truth of humanity, tracing back through millions of years of evolution. And then something reaches back.
I don't want to spoil it but the "big reveal" is a laugh riot. Especially because the 50 minutes or so before that had been all philosophical musings and quasi-scientific explorations of man and nature with strong religious crisis overtones. **SPOILER WARNING** And then it turns into Body Horror with the Muppets! **END SPOILERS**
There's some stuff that didn't age well, like Jessup's constant sleeping with his grad students and the "all a man needs is the love of a good woman to save him" throughline but not terrible overall. Definitely a cautionary tale for people who wonder why Ethics Boards exist.
It's streaming on the Criterion Channel this month and I would definitely encourage you to give it a spin if you like psychedelic sci-fi horror.
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